New Canaan girls hold off Ridgefield to remain perfect

Jon Chik

Updated 10:31 pm, Saturday, January 19, 2013

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Olivia Hompe celebrates her goal with a hug from teammate Corbett Ripley, left, as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013. less

New Canaan's Olivia Hompe celebrates her goal with a hug from teammate Corbett Ripley, left, as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, ... more

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan celebrates after Catherine Granito, number 2, scored as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

New Canaan celebrates after Catherine Granito, number 2, scored as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Catherine Granito moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

New Canaan's Catherine Granito moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Olivia Hompe cuts through the Ridgefield defense of Heather Ogden, left, and Isabelle Stafford as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013. less

New Canaan's Olivia Hompe cuts through the Ridgefield defense of Heather Ogden, left, and Isabelle Stafford as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, ... more

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Isabelle Stafford in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Isabelle Stafford in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Olivia Hompe moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Olivia Hompe moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Madzie Carroll moves the puck as Ridgefield's Maeve Reilly, right, closes in New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

New Canaan's Madzie Carroll moves the puck as Ridgefield's Maeve Reilly, right, closes in New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Emma Rosenstein fires as Ridgefield's Kate Lombardozzi blocks as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

New Canaan's Emma Rosenstein fires as Ridgefield's Kate Lombardozzi blocks as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Kate Lombardozzi moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Kate Lombardozzi moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Meredith Keenan shoots as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Meredith Keenan shoots as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Ellie Garelick moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Ellie Garelick moves along the boards as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Lucy Wemyss fires as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Lucy Wemyss fires as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Meghan Galloway and New Canaan's Olivia Hompe battle as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Meghan Galloway and New Canaan's Olivia Hompe battle as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Olivia Hompe in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

New Canaan's Olivia Hompe in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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Ridgefield's Meghan Galloway in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Ridgefield's Meghan Galloway in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

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New Canaan's Corbett Ripley and Ridgefield's Meghan Galloway in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

New Canaan's Corbett Ripley and Ridgefield's Meghan Galloway in action as New Canaan hosts Ridgefield High School in a girls hockey game at the Darien Ice Rink in Darien, Conn., Jan. 19, 2013.

Photo: Keelin Daly

New Canaan girls hold off Ridgefield to remain perfect

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DARIEN -- For the New Canaan girls hockey team, the schedule might be getting tougher, but the result has stayed the same.

Win after win after win. Eleven in a row to start the season to be exact.

In its latest triumph, New Canaan scored the first four goals on its way to a 4-2 victory over Ridgefield at the Darien Ice Rink on Saturday afternoon. Olivia Hompe notched a hat trick and goalie Nathalie Deney stopped 27 of 29 shots for the 11-0 Rams.

"We were all feeling good and we were pumped," Denay said. "It's definitely good to prepare because once we hit the postseason in FCIACs and states, we're going to be playing really tough teams who are fired up all the time. So this is really our chance to test how far we can go and how hard we can work."

The Rams got on the board 8:49 into the first period when Hompe was sprung on a breakaway after receiving a pass from Corbett Ripley. Hompe weaved past a defender to go in one-on-one with the goalie before finishing a backhander for a 1-0 lead.

The last 1:09 of the opening period proved pivotal, as New Canaan scored twice to boost its lead to 3-0.

"It's not ideal. One of our team rules is not to give up goals in the last two minutes of any period," Ridgefield coach Lauren Gibbs said.

First, Catherine Grantio doubled her team's lead after receiving passes from Madzie Carroll and Amelia Carroll with 1:09 remaining. After winning the ensuing faceoff, the Rams set up shot in the attacking zone and Hompe scored her second goal with Granito picking up the assist.

"I think we gave the game away a little in the first period a little bit," Gibbs said. "We didn't come out our hardest and just dug ourselves in a hole we couldn't get out of, but we got better and better each period."

"(The first line) had just come off of a really nice goal, so we figured why not leave them out there and see if they can do some damage and they did," New Canaan coach Rich Bulan said. "That's a big goal."

With New Canaan on the powerplay midway through the second period, Granito again sent a pass to Hompe, who skated across the blue line on a breakaway and scored for the 4-0 lead.

After being robbed by Deney on several occasions over the first period and a half, Ridgefield's Maeve Reilly broke through 10:40 into the second. With the puck loose in front of the New Canaan net, Reilly jammed away before finally pushing the puck into the net, as Meredith Keenan and Erica Ely collected assists.

Reilly scored her second goal with 8:51 remaining in the third period, but the Tigers were unable to make up the early four-goal hole as the clock ran out on the Rams' 4-2 win.

"They're a good team. I think the difference for us tonight was Natalie having her third or fourth big game in a row, and Olivia does what Olivia does," Bulan said. "I thought the defense did some really good work. There were some gutsy plays all around."